Evaluation of immunohistopathological profile of tubular and solid canine mammary carcinomas.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, but the incidence of mammary carcinoma in female dogs is even higher than in humans. These two tumors have similarities that can be seen by its biological behavior, molecular genetic alterations, and histology. This suggest that female dogs can be an excellent model for preclinical oncological studies. And the mammary carcinoma most frequently found in this species is the tubular and solid carcinomas. The extracellular matrix (ECM) has an important role in the progression of these tumors. Because of that we proposed to evaluate the ECM components of these carcinomas through histology with specific stains such as Masson's Trichrome, Picrosirius Red and the technique of scanning electron microscopy. With that, we found the presence of collagen fibers in the tubular carcinoma and around its parenchyma. On the other hand, the solid carcinoma presented collagen fibers throughout the parenchyma and around each tumor cell. With the transmission electron microscopy, we observed the presence of mitochondrias and rough endoplasmic reticulum in both tumors. And finally, we evaluated the expression of proteins through the immunohistochemistry, in which we found a high expression of VEGF, PCNA, CK-18 and vimentin in solid carcinoma, and a positive mark in the tubular and solid carcinoma for collagen I, III and fibronectin. Thus, we demonstrated some differences in the ECM of these mammary carcinomas, allowing a better understanding of its histological characteristics, and these data may contribute to future studies about therapies focused on tumors ECM.

Canine amniotic membrane mesenchymal stromal/stem cells: Isolation, characterization and differentiation.

The amniotic membrane can be considered as one of the sources of isolation of these cells, since it is found in the fetal maternal interface and has low immunogenicity. Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) have not been identified in canine amniotic membrane (AMC). Therefore, our objective was to isolate, culture, characterize and differentiate cells derived from canine amniotic membrane (AMC) and to verify its immunological and tumorigenic potential. For this, 12 dogs fetuses of each gestational age 32, 43 and 55 days were used, and the isolation and culture of the AMC were performed. We observed that the cells presented fibroblastoid morphology and high confluence even after freezing. We also observed that, when induced, they were able to differentiate into osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic cells, as well as being CD34- and CD105+. Regarding the immunological markers, we found that IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-10 and MHC II were not expressed, whereas MHC I was expressed. After application of AMC cells in nude mice we can verify that there was no tumor formation. Based on this, we conclude that canine amniotic membrane is a good and accessible source for obtaining MSCs of low immunogenic and tumorigenic potential for veterinary therapeutic applications.

Genetic modification of hypoxia signaling in animal models and its effect on cancer

Conditions that cause hypoxemia or generalized tissue hypoxia, which can last for days, months, or even years, are very common in the human population and are among the leading causes of morbidity, disability, and mortality. Therefore, the molecular pathophysiology of hypoxia and its potential deleterious effects on human health are important issues at the forefront of biomedical research. Generalized hypoxia is a consequence of highly prevalent medical disorders that can severely reduce the capacity for O 2 exchange between the air and pulmonary capillaries. In recent years, some of the key O 2 -dependent signaling pathways have been characterized at the molecular level. In particular, the prolyl hydroxylase (PHD)- hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) cascade has emerged as the master regulator of a general gene expression program involved in cell/tissue/organ adaptation to hypoxia. Hypoxia has emerged as a critical factor in cancer because it can promote tumor initiation, progression, and resistance to therapy. Beyond its role in neovascularization as a mechanism of tumor adaptation to nutrient and O 2 deprivation, hypoxia has been linked to prolonged cellular lifespan and immortalization, the generation of ‘‘oncometabolites’’, deregulation of stem cell proliferation, and inflammation, among other tumor hallmarks. Hypoxia may contribute to cancer through several independent pathways, the inter-connections of which have yet to be elucidated. Furthermore, the relevance of chronic hypoxemia in the initiation and progression of cancer has not been studied in depth in the whole organism. Therefore, we explore here the contributions of hypoxia to the whole organism by reviewing studies on genetically modified mice with alterations in the key molecular factors regulating hypoxia (AU)

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O jogo Set em adolescentes, adultos e idosos: aspectos cognitivos / Teenagers, adults and elderly people on playing set game: cognitive aspects

A presente pesquisa teve como objetivo identificar e analisar aspectos cognitivos de adolescentes, adultos e idosos ao jogarem o Set. Este é um jogo de percepção visual, composto por 81 cartas diferenciadas em quatro atributos e três qualidades cujo desafio é formar trios (Sets) obedecendo à regra de que as qualidades dos atributos sejam agrupadas pelas semelhanças ou diferenças entre si. O desafio é não cometer o erro dois contra um (duas cartas têm um mesmo atributo e a outra, não). A coleta de dados foi realizada em 15 sábados, com duração de 90 minutos a cada vez. Foram realizadas três atividades. A atividade 1 consistiu em encontrar um trio, dentre 12 cartas a cada jogata, antes de o colega. Na atividade 2 teve-se de encontrar, individualmente, em dois quadros fixos (um com 9 cartas e outro com 12), quatro ou seis trios em que as figuras podiam ser repetidas para formar um novo trio. A atividade 3 consistiu em indicar individualmente a terceira carta para completar um trio, inferindo a terceira carta a partir das informações fornecidas pelas duas primeiras. Quarenta participantes, compondo um grupo de adolescentes (N=18), adultos (N=12) e idosos (N=10), realizaram voluntariamente as atividades. Para análise dos dados, comparativamente aos grupos de idade, foram criados protocolos com a finalidade de identificar, quanto à atividade 1, os aspectos cognitivos envolvidos no jogar e as qualidades dos atributos predominantes; quanto à atividade 2, analisar o desempenho na composição dos trios nas duas situações-problema; e quanto à atividade 3, as qualidades utilizadas para caracterizar a terceira carta. Os resultados indicaram na atividade 1, que no grupo dos adolescentes a rapidez em encontrar trios possibilitou que realizassem mais jogadas.(AU)

The objective of this research work was to identify and analyse cognitive aspects on playing the Set Game by teenagers, adults and elderly people. This is a visual perception game composed of 81 cards each one having a variation of four features and three features parts whose objective is to identify sets of three cards, whose features parts are either identical or distinct on each card, named Set from now on. The players should pay attention on not doing the mistake called 2 against 1 (when 2 features parts are grouped together obeying the rule and one not). In order to collect the data, it was organized 15 workshops of 90 minutes each, composed of 3 activities. In the activity 1, the players before their adversary should identify a Set from a group of twelve cards laid out on a table. In the activity 2, in two challenge boards a matrix composed of 9 cards and other of 12, the players individually had to identify four or six Sets whose figures could be used more than once to form a new Set. In the activity 3, individually the players had to identify the third card to complete the Sets, inferring the third card from the information provided by the other two. The participants were a group of 40 volunteers composed of teenagers (N=18), adults (N=12) and elderly people (N=10). In order to analyse the data according to the age group, protocols were created: in activity 1, to identify cognitive aspects on playing and the predominance of each features part joined by similarity; in activity 2, to analyse the players performance in the problem-solving context; and in activity 3, to identify the features parts used to characterize the third card. The results show that in the activity 1 the quick performance of the teenagers group permitted them to make more casts.(AU)